


The Book of Shadows and Mischief

by Emily_Sophie



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (honestly I don't want to feel the pain), F/M, I don't want you to be disappointed in the end, I'll start with the canon ships, M/M, but I haven't planned a major character death yet, but I've given away too much already, but Stalia won't be in the endgame, but characters might change, depressive!Scott at the beginning, many poc's, message me if you want to know, or kinda depressed, other people might appear, roots from the canon, same for Stiles, so message me if I should add something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 07:38:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3373244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_Sophie/pseuds/Emily_Sophie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you know what my problem is Stiles? Nobody seems to care. Everyone acts like nothing has happened and we are standing here alone. I don't think I can do this anymore."</p><p>The recent events have left deep scars. While everyone is still mourning and Stiles is trying to recover, another threat is coming. Something even darker than the nogitsune. </p><p>How do you fight something invisible?  A creature hiding in the shadows?<br/>Something you don't know anything about? </p><p>Hearts will be broken and lives might be lost. </p><p>The Book of Shadows and Mischief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yassiwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yassiwrites/gifts).



> Min thanks for inspiring me, no matter what is coming. You will write me one idea, one sentence and I will write. I know this is not your style of fic, not really your otps but you are the reason that I keep writing it. Thank you!

**This is taking place a few weeks after the season 4 finale. Chris Argent is still searching Kate and Mr. McCall has left to investigate a murder spree near San Francisco. Something has changed in Beacon Hills. Stiles is having panic attacks and Scott isn’t feeling any better, nervous breakdowns are usual now by both of them. Liam got therapy and his nightmares start to disappear slowly but it’s a rough road at the moment. Malia has no control over her shifts, Braeden disappeared and it seems like Derek and Lydia are the only sane ones left.**

 

“Scott, hey Scott wait for me”, somebody called after him. Scott turned around and smiled. Stiles was running towards him. “What’s up Dude?” he asked. They high-fived, hugged and Stiles throw a worried look at him: “Are you okay?” Scott nodded “Yes, I think so. How about you?” Stiles smiled sadly. “Yeah I’m okay too. Totally ready to start this wonderful school day.”

His sarcastic undertone made Scott smile but as he turned around he could hear Stiles muttering silently, nearly impossible to hear. “At least that’s what I’m hoping to be.”

A few moments of silence took place while they were walking to their lockers. Both lost in their thoughts.

 

They heard the others, laughing and talking. Lockers were opened and closed loudly, bags thrown on the ground. Then suddenly Scott started speaking again, his thoughts were coming like a stream of panic and it seemed like something or someone else had taken over his tongue: “No I’m not. I’m not okay. I have thought about, about what happened and there is something. Something that doesn’t fit. It was always there but I.”

He swallowed. “I haven’t seen it. It’s just, nobody seems to care. I tried to, I wanted - never mind.” He stopped unsure if he should continue, he had said to much. This was neither the right place nor the right time to discuss such issues.

He clenched his fist and tried to calm down, but it didn’t work. Scott didn’t even know why he suddenly felt so bad, but his mood had changed completely. He had a nice girlfriend, many friends, he was good in school, he should be happy. They had defeated the assassins and Kate, they were save and still.

Something was wrong, something had changed. And he couldn’t say what it was.

 

Suddenly Stiles dragged him into the next class room. “Are you fucking kidding me Scott? Come one. Did you really expect me to...” Stiles stopped shortly. “What is wrong with you man. I’ve known you since kindergarten. And I swear if you leave any of the details out I’m gonna find some wolfsbane and then I will make you talk.”

He threw his arm around Scott’s shoulders suddenly serious. “You can tell me everything Scott, you know that, right?”

And then like something had loosened in him, Scott started to speak again.

 

“It’s just. I don't know Stiles. Everyone acts like nothing has happened. And we are standing here, alone, again. And that’s not even the thing. I mean, I didn’t realize it first. It sounds totally weird but it was always right there back in my mind and I didn’t, didn’t know how to call it.

It sounds so stupid and childish but. What if somebody has plotted this? It started silently, the bite, Peter and now. Now it’s like the whole world against us, against me.” His voice trembled.

Stiles looked anxious. He took his arm away, started playing with his hands, biting his lips.

 

“This whole thing, the pack, the Darach, the nogitsune and then Allison’s and Aiden’s death, it got worse. The assassins, the Benefactor. It’s like a huge plan, that is taking place here. I don’t know why and I... I know it sounds ridiculous, but there is definitely something.”

Scott paused and started biting his lower lip. His hands played nervously with his helmet and his voice was throaty when he continued. “There has to be a reason for all this. Why we? Why Beacon Hills? Why now? This makes completely no sense to me.” Scott looked desperate now and stopped abruptly.

 

Stiles nodded slowly, looked down and waited for Scott to continue. But he didn’t and so he started speaking: “I know Scott. I know. But I have absolutely no idea. You’re right, it’s strange but I can’t answer any of your questions. I wish I could.

But I have no clue. I did some research by myself and there is nothing. I know nothing.

The only thing I know is that you’re a true alpha. You saved us, your are special. Do you know how rare a true alpha is? You’re powerful, almost unique. You’ve fought all these threats”

 

Scott cut him off. “I know, once a hundred years, bla bla bla. Do you really think this is going to change anything? What do you think my mom tells me if I talk with her?” He looked nervously.

Stiles gasped: “You talked with your mom about this? Before you talked with me? What?”

 

Scott looked down again. “I was drunk and tired. Did you know that Lydia can made beer for werewolves? She found some wolfsbane that helps us getting drunk.”

Stiles started smirking and laid his arm around Scott’s shoulders again: “Yeah yeah little Scottie. Always there to get drunk. Huh? Did you really think Lydia did that all by herself?”

Scott rolled his eyes: “Come one you know that it wasn’t that way. I just wanted to try”

Stiles laughed. “Oh honey, we all know that you are lying to yourself. But anyway let’s go. We don’t want to miss Coach’s class.” The irony was unmistakable.

They walked through the hallways Stiles telling him about this super amazing videogame he was playing at the moment and that Scott should definitely try this out. I wouldn’t turn out like the last one, he promised. This one was fun.

 

But then suddenly somebody tipped on Scott’s shoulder. He jumped out of his skin and turned around so fast that the girl in front of him looked frightened. She wasn’t tall, a bit chubby, had a snub nose and huge green eyes. Her black curly hair was messy and her red lips shivered when she asked: “Do you know where I can find the coach?”

Scott tried to hide how she had terrified him, smiled and started explaining: “Look, you just have to go down this hallway. Can you see the rooms on the right? The last one should be his. He’s normally there but please knock.” Stiles jumped in: “He’s easily frightened and you don’t want him to punch you, do you?” He smiled.

 

“Okay thanks” whispered the girl, turned around and left, a even more confused and frightened look on her face than before. A huge grin spread on Stiles face: “Poor Scott, frightened because of a girl. But remember you’re the true one, the alpha.” Scott punched him into the stomach.

Stiles started protesting “Hey, I’m human remember? And no one understands that anyways. Everyone will think we’re talking about the game.” Scott interrupted him. “Wait what? Which game are you talking about? Why would somebody think we’re talking about Lacrosse? What's wrong with you Stiles?”

Stiles gasped offended. “Come on, Scott! When do you really listen to me? My online game about the mystic creatures? The one we used as plea for Lydia? Do you remember? Mythomagic? Huh?!” He rolled his eyes and continued walking. Scott took a moment but then he remembered. “I’m sorry Stiles. Do you mean the one you talked about in the library? The one you wanted to play with me all the time?”

 

Suddenly everything came back. All of the doubts and fears he had hoped to forget. And Scott realized how stressful the last years were.

How much real time he had spent with his friends. Time without any threat or anything else to fight for or to fight against. Nada. Nothing. They haven’t met to go to the cinema, they didn’t even watched a game together. There was always something to fight against, the Kanima, Gerald, the Darach, Stiles, the assassins.

He knew where this spiral would lend to but still.

 

The last time he did something for fun? Well, they were at some parties, but there were always a threat. First at the gay club and then in Derek’s loft at Halloween. Even his date with Kira ended horribly. They had always something to fight against. He barely remembered anything, but then yes. There it was. The double date with Jackson and Lydia. The bowling thing.

Allison.

Again.

Wherever he looked, whatever he thought about, she was everywhere. She was hiding in the shadows, deep in his soul and he couldn’t erase her. He tried to lock it away so hard. Her face, her smile, her scent, her laughter. There were some times when he forgot it. When he forgot what had happened.

 

Sometimes he wanted to call her, it was already dialling and then he remembered it again. She was dead, she died in his arms and there was nothing he could do against it. Allison was gone. He would never ever see her again. She would never walk down these hallways. Smiling and chatting with Lydia. She would never sit in class again, listening and taking notes. No funny talks at lunch, no bursts of laughter because of Stiles. No more. No hunting, no saving in the last minute. Nothing.

Now he hated himself for how he had acted after their break up. He had been so proud that he had himself under control. He hadn’t texted her, called her or took care of her while she slept. It was hard but she wanted freedom and he gave it to her. But now he desperately wished for one last talk, one last smile, one last kiss, one last moment with Allison. He would give everything to bring her back, even only for a few moments. To tell her how much he loved her. How wonderful she had been. To thank her for being there for him. Even if he hadn’t seen it. But it was too late. She was gone and there was nothing he could change.

 

Why? Why did all of this happen to them? If there was something like god, a higher spirit that took care, why did they let this happen? What did they ever do? What was evil enough to deserve something like this? They had no time relax never. Even after her death it continued being busy. They had to fake a robbery, had to hide evidences. No one should ever realize that there was something else in Beacon Hills. Something that wasn’t normal, that shouldn’t exist.

All these supernatural things like werewolves or kitsune. It had to be hidden, had to stay a secret. Even though only a few people would believe their stories there would be enough mystery freaks, enough strangers who would come to investigate. They would do some research, would publish the weirdest theories. All these deaths, the mysterious disappears, it would be a feast for them. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem a few freaks more or less wouldn’t change anything. But after the alpha pack they had realized that there were many other things. Deaton had told them a lot.

Stories that were told around campfires, fairy tales and legends and some of them were true. Beacon Hills was already a light house for the supernatural. They didn’t have to attract more attention. This would be too dangerous.

 

“Scott, Buddy are you okay?” He heard Stiles voice from far away. Everything seemed to be too far away. He blinked and tried to concentrate and then everything was clear again. Stiles had stopped walking and turned around. A tear dropped down Scott’s face, he hadn’t realized it but he had started crying. Silent tears dropped steadily down his face.

Stiles looked extremely concerned. “Are you sure that you want to go to school again Scott? Maybe you should spend a few days at home, just to make sure that you’re okay. No one is going to blame you.”

“No it's... I can manage it” It was hard but Scott smiled and continued: "What do you think should we camp in the Rocky Mountains this weekend? We’ve talked about this, ages ago and I don’t want to sit here at home and think about everything. Why shouldn’t we just go?”

Maybe a few days away from home would help? Scott wasn’t sure and Stiles looked sceptical so he continued in a low voice.

“I mean we survived all this shit and I have no idea how long we can manage whatever is coming next. You’ve fought the nogitsune, you’ve won, we fought Kate, everyone survived this time and I think we should appreciate that. We can wait and say after all this, after school, after work, after after after.

But I don’t want this anymore. We could start living a real live, we could change everything. I don’t want to exist, I want to live. We could die every single moment, I could lose you and I don’t want to miss anything again.” Another tear rolled down Scott's face, he was way too emotional these days. “We can do what we want. And not only what we’re expected to do. We could start a new life, our life.” His voice broke.

 

Stiles stepped forward and hugged Scott: “Are you sure that everything is okay? You’re my brother Scott. I am at your side, no matter what is coming.”

A whistle and a loud “We love you too” from the back, broke their hug. When they turned around they saw Lydia, Malia and Liam standing there, laughing and waving. Stiles and Scott started smiling, waved back and continued their walk.

Finally they reached their lockers. “What do you think are we going to need today?” asked Stiles, but Scott didn’t answer him. Instead he made surprised noise and opened a piece of paper. ”What?” He stopped and after he finished reading he spoke again. "This is a message from Ethan. What is he doing here? Okay that's strange, he’s asking if we can meet at lunch”, he looked confused. “Oh shit” said Stiles and closed his locker with a loud noise. “That's not good.”

 

“McCall, Stilinski the lesson is starting. Come on you have to hurry.” yelled the coach. “We have important things to do!”

Yes, something is the right word” Scott looked tired. “Come on let’s start something normal.” He took his books turned around and followed the Coach into the classroom. “Oh wow, something normal, going to school, what an awesome day.” sighed Stiles and followed him.


	2. A New Student

Scott and Stiles rushed into the classroom and sat down. He looked around. Kira and Lydia were sitting two seats behind them but he couldn’t spot Malia. Maybe she felt sick, was changing uncontrolled again or she simply hated economics, but it was probably the last one. It was a good excuse. They couldn't say anything, she might be dangerous. A fact she was shamelessly using.

Scott started unpacking his back, but Coach Finstock cleared his throat and gestured them to be silent.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen. I’ll need your full attention now.” declared the coach looking around. Suddenly his forehead and brows puckered. He looked around again, searching and asked: “Has anyone seen Malia? Stiles?” but Stiles shook his head and shrug his shoulders.

“Well, well. We’ll get back to that later. We got a new student again. It seems like Beacon Hills becomes interesting. I will get her, it might take a while. Please stay quiet and take a look on your homework.” He waited a few moments, until they started fishing out their stuff, nodded and left the classroom.

All at once everyone stopped searching and started whispering. “Ah new student!”; “Again”. They threw nervous glances back to Kira. “Do you think they are going to be male or female?” “Maybe they are hot?” “Where do you think they come from?”.

Scott rolled his eyes and turned around. It was always the same. New students were the most interesting thing to gossip about, especially when they moved in the middle of the year. It had been the same with Malia and Kira, they had talked about them a lot, unnecessary gossip he couldn't avoid. Sometimes he cursed his werewolf hearing, especially during lunch. Then he spotted Kira and saw how vainly she tried to hide her smile.

 

He turned around but he couldn’t help it. He was starting to smile too. Kira had always this effect on him, one of the reasons he spent so much time with her. Sometimes he forgot how awesome she was. She had saved their lives more than he could count and he wasn’t sure how he could ever thank her that. She was friendly and kind, even after all the things that had happened.

When she came to Beacon Hills she was immediately thrown in this mysterious world, but she managed it perfectly. She accepted her role as kitsune, still not knowing what her exact powers were. Her mom called her a thunder kitsune, she was able to absorb a large amount of electricity but there was more.

More they had not experienced yet. Mainly because her mother didn't want her to. It would be too dangerous, attracting too much attention. It would be better for them, for her. No matter how often they tried to discuss with her, the results were always the same. Kira's mother didn't want to tell them more about their tribes, their secrets, about anything related to Kira's and her tiny little secret.

Stiles usually called it that way. He had done some internet research and now they knew the basics of every legend, but that didn't help at all. They had found too many stories and legends. And they knew that not everyone was necessarily true.

 

They had done research too when they found out about Lydia's powers. But legends were legends and the truth was often hidden and changed.

It had been fun to scroll through all the werewolf myths and stories, laughing on how ridicoulus they sometimes were. They had saved the best ones and told Derek about it. But he had just shrugged and left. Later on Deaton had explained them that this was exactly what Derek and his sisters had done when they were younger and that they had often come to him to ask if this or that would be true.

He had told them more later. About Derek, Laura, how they grew up, how the usual pack dynamics were. Scott wasn't sure if Derek was okay with it, but Stiles insisted that they had to know more about werewolves and so he stayed.

Deaton had known a lot. He knew answers to all their questions about werewolves and had always told him stories while they were working. It had been really interesting but even he didn't know anything about kitsunes.

 

Kira's mom had told them a bit, when Kira got her first tail, earlier than usual. Tails were signs of power and knowledge. The more tails a kitsune had, the older and wiser it was. Without her they would have been lost. The fight against the nogitsune would have been impossible. Her mothers knowledge had saved them, even if it wasn't much.

But Kira did so much more. Scott didn't want to imagine what would have happened without her.

He knew that she would do everything to protect him and his friends and he didn’t even know why. They’ve met a few months ago and from the first moment on Kira had started helping and protecting them. She was like a missing part of their puzzle. She fit in perfectly and it was such a joy to spend time with her. He looked back and smiled. Kira smiled back and threw him a kiss through the air.

 

Scott turned around again and started writing on an empty paper – meet after school? He folded it and passed it towards her. It took a while but when she got it, she smiled and whispered: “See you at the parking lot.” He smiled again but suddenly something hit the back of his head. He turned around and saw that Stiles had thrown a paper ball. Stiles leaned near to him and whispered: “Stop drooling.”

Suddenly the door opened and the Coach yelled: “Ah our sweet couple again. We know you two are truly in love but can you just hold back a little. I can’t stand too much love in one room boys.” Everyone laughed but Scott was startled. He hadn't realized how much time had passed.

Then the Coach entered the classroom with a girl who looked quite familiar to him. He couldn’t remember who she was, not until Stiles began to giggle. He laughed so hard, that his head turned read. He held his stomach laughing breathlessly and then it hit Scott: This was the girl from the hallway, the girl who had frightened him so much.

“Stilinski what’s so funny? And stop staring Greenberg; she’s definitely not in your league.” The coach shouted. He lowered his voice and continued: “So class this is Louise our new student, Louise this is your new class. Now sit down, there in the back should be a free seat. And listen. We have to work hard today.” Everyone moaned collectively. “Scott tell me what did you find out about the leading economic indicators and please don’t forget your sources this time. And Stilinski stop grinning you’re next.”

 


	3. The Meeting

“Did I ever mention how much I hate economy?” groaned Stiles after the lesson. “A five pages essay ‘till next week. Come on no one is interested in this bull...”

“I heard that Stilinski!” yelled Coach Finstock. Of course he had heard it they had barely left the classroom. Stiles rolled his eyes and Scott couldn’t help but smile. It was always the same and yet it was always funny.

 

They turned right and started walking to the cafeteria when Stiles asked: “So when are we going to meet Ethan?”

“I'm going to meet him now” answered Scott and headed towards the door.

“Wait why are you going outside? Wait for me! I thought we’re going to meet him together?”

 

Scott turned around and looked ashamed. “I’m sorry Stiles. But this is important. Ethan asked me and I am going alone. I’ll see you later.” With these words he left Stiles alone in the back.

 

The air was cold and Scott hurried. His heart was beating fast and he tried to convince himself that this was the right decision. It would be too dangerous. He hadn’t told Stiles the whole story. Ethan had told him more. He wanted to warn Scott. Warn him about something that was too dangerous to write it down. They had to meet in person and alone. He knew that Stiles would find him eventually but he didn’t care. As long as he could make sure that everything was save first.

He wasn’t sure if this “danger” was the real reason Ethan wanted to meet him. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to help him.

Derek told him that Peter had spent a lot of time with Ethan the weeks before Kate appeared. They didn’t know why and after the Benefactor Scott didn’t believe in coincidences anymore.

 

Peter had claimed to be innocent. It had been the Banshee's, Meredith’s fault as if that would in any way help him. He had tried to kill Scott and had used Kate shamelessly, as always.

But if he hadn’t known anything about the assassins, why was it his voice on the records then?

The tapes the assassins and Kate got, he and Stiles had listened to it again, later after Mexico and then they realized it. It sounded like Peter, it had been there the whole time, and they just hadn’t seen it.

After Aiden’s death Ethan had wanted to leave, he told Danny so but he didn’t. He had stayed a few weeks and then he left suddenly. Nobody knew why but he had started to spend lots of time with Peter and that concerned Scott.

 

They hadn’t found out about it first, because Peter was good. He knew how to hide and how to trick them. It was their luck that Ethan wasn’t. He had been visiting Danny, who had casually mentioned it at some point.

Scott had asked Derek to find out what Ethan was doing and that’s what he did. He found out about the meetings but they decided not to tell the others. Raising false alarm wouldn’t help.

 

Scott felt horrible, he was terrible liar and they knew that, but what if he just “forgot” to mention it? It had worked until now but he knew as soon as he had to lie straight into Stiles' face he would know. He had always known.

But Scott didn't want to burden them again, not until he knew for sure that something was going on.

He didn’t know why Ethan suddenly wanted to meet him, but it was definitely nothing good.

 

He had been influenced by Peter and Peter had done awful things, even though he kept assuring that he just wanted to help.

There was this strange feeling that always warned him. It had been there with Kate, Mrs. Blake, the alpha pack. He just knew that something was wrong.

And Peter was not an easy man to deal with. He was dangerous; even now as omega, even in Eichen house, he could trick them and lead them into a trap.

Scott hadn’t forgotten about Derek’s sister Laura or about Kate. Peter had tricked them, made them believe he wanted to help. That he was on their side and then he just dropped them. He would’ve killed Kate too if he had the chance. Scott was sure about that.

This man was a monster and had always been one. A part of him was lost in the fire that burned his family.

 

Maybe he was different before, a loving uncle, god knows, but now he was dangerous.

He was a perfect liar and cheater and he didn’t do anything without thinking about his advantages. He had wanted them to believe that he had changed, that he took care about them and that he wanted to help. But Stiles had known better and he was right.

No one could know what Peter had told Ethan.

Everything could happen. What if Peter had told him that everything was Stiles fault? That the nogitsune couldn’t be banished and that it had tricked them all?

That it was still there waiting to attack again and that the only possibility to defeat it would be to kill Stiles?

Scott knew that he wouldn’t be able to protect him.

 

If Ethan attacked him, Stiles would be dead. This risk was too high. Scott wouldn’t lose his best friend that way.

What if he wouldn’t be able to defeat him and he caught Stiles. He would kill him and Scott would have to watch him die. He knew that this was unlikely but still. This would be too much after all. He couldn’t lose another friend, not again.

And there she was. Her look when she lied in his arms, when she breathed her last words. He would never forget this picture again. It was burned into his brain and every time he closed his eyes it came up again.

 

The light that left her eyes, how her body became limp, her last moments, her last breath. It was always there.

They have lost so many people. Erica, Boyd, Aiden. But no one had hurt like Allison. Maybe because he was with her when she died, maybe because she was his first love. He would never know and he couldn’t change it.

The only thing he could do was to prevent. He could protect his friends and his family. Not only because he didn’t want them to die but also because he wasn’t sure if he could survive that.

 

Another death would break him, it would tear him into pieces. He wasn’t sure if would be able to manage that. He couldn't to go back to life and live normally. It had been hard enough after Allison. He couldn't do it twice. 

 

He had to protect them whatever it would cost.

 

He would do everything to keep them save.

 

He could not let it happen again.

 

Never ever again.

 

 

[(x) ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5XkfEnwFsw)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen the the records at the beginning of the midseason trailer again. Doesn't it sound like Peter?  
> 


	4. Ethan

When he arrived at the field Scott saw Ethan sitting on the tribunes talking to another person he couldn’t see. It seemed to be a man, quite tall but he wasn’t able to see his face.

Scott heard Ethan yelling, but first he couldn’t understand anything. When he came closer he managed to catch up a few words: “You’re such an idiot... You’ll get killed... They will come soon...“

He heard sarcastic laugher and a few mumbled sentences but he was too far away to understand it properly even with his werewolf hearing. He walked faster and finally he was able to understand it:

“This is none of my business. I am and I was never involved in it. I won’t leave but I’m not going to fight either. This is their problem and I don’t understand why you are going to tell them! They have woken it and now it’s their business. I won’t take a hand in this. I wish you good luck. Try not to end like your brother.”

 

With these words the man left Ethan and went straight towards the forest. Ethan cowered into his seat and mumbled: “This idiot. No one has ever survived it. They don’t care if you have started it. They’ll kill you anyway.”

Scott was now near enough to understand everything but his arrival interrupted Ethan. It seemed like he hadn’t realized that he was there. He looked up and tried to smile but he failed miserable. “How much have you heard?” he asked and moved over to make place for Scott.

Scott sat down and started speaking: “Not much actually, who were you talking to?”

 

Ethan swallowed.  “It’s difficult, he’s mysterious." He stopped shortly.

"I don’t know how to explain. I met him when I left Beacon Hills a few months ago. He agreed to help me while I was searching something but now. Now everything is different. I don’t know what he wants anymore. I don’t even know his name.” He sighed and there was bitterness written in his face.

“I’m sorry but I have absolutely no idea. Everything has changed.”

 

Scott looked at the completely overwhelmed Ethan. He didn’t look so scary anymore. Something or someone had changed him. Maybe he had been afraid for no reason. Perhaps Ethan wasn’t that dangerous anymore.

Maybe it was better to stay and to listen, what if it was as important as Ethan had said, as dangerous, as frightening?

He had to stay, had to make sure his pack was going to be save. This was his job, wasn't it? He was the alpha, their leader, their guardian. He had to protect them no matter what was coming. He would listen to Ethan, would make him talk and most important he would make sure that everybody would be save. But he had to give him time. Too much pressure would ruin everything.

 

And so he was waiting for Ethan to continue who kept quiet for a while. When he started to speak his voice was full of sorrow:

“Scott, listen, there is something strange in this town. It was bothering me since I first came here. All these accidents, these attacks. Something like this isn’t normal, even in a world full of supernatural events. I have heard of it before but I wasn’t sure about it, not until the nogitsune. Do you still remember Deucalion? Do you remember why he came here?”

He left Scott time to think, but he couldn’t remember:

 

“Ugh, I’m afraid I don’t know anymore. We heard so many versions of it. First we thought he came because of Derek, to convince him” he snorted. “But then he wanted me and claimed that he came because of my potential? I could guess, but I don't think I would find out what he really wanted."

Ethan nodded: “Yeah, you are probably right. Deucalion loves to play hide and seek. False information, different stories, he’s good at confusing people. But we” His voice broke, “I overheard stuff when he was talking to Kali.”

Scott balled his fists, remembering what she did to them. Boyd, Erica it was her fault. He knew she was dead, but it didn’t help at all. He was still...

 

Ethan interrupted his thoughts: “I don’t know exactly what Deucalion wanted. But something powerful is hidden in Beacon Hills and it is attracting a lot of attention not only to werewolves but also to other things.

Deucalion didn’t knew what it was but he wanted to make sure that we were here, so he could get this thing, this person or whatever it was first. His craving for power is endless and he couldn’t endure the thought of losing this “fight”, losing whatever makes this place so "special". He wanted it badly. Normally he wouldn't have taken risks like that, but somehow this thing was different."

He stopped talking and stifled a yawn. “I don’t know if he finally got it, but he left and that keeps me thinking. He never leaves without a reason. Never leaves without getting what he wants. Maybe he left because he can see again or maybe because his pack was destroyed but I don’t think so. He’s too focused for such trivial things. There was something else. I think he was hiding something.” He closed his eyes and stopped talking.

 

Scott waited a while and thought about what Ethan just had said. Something powerful hidden in Beacon Hills. He could be right, he wasn’t the only one claiming that there was a secret somewhere. Kira’s mother said something similar. Their sacrifice had woken the nogitsune; the Nemeton had his old powers back. But this couldn’t be what Ethan had talked about. Their sacrifice had happened after the Alpha pack had appeared. But before?

“Ethan what kind of power and attraction are you talking about? Could the Nemeton and our sacrifice be the reason?" Scott knew that it was unlikely but he also knew they couldn’t count on little flickers of hope.

They had to eliminate the possibilities if they wanted to know what was going on. That was what Stiles had talked about earlier this month and Lydia had mentioned something along those lines too. And it was making sense.

 

Think like a detective. Think like Stiles, whispered something in his brain. He had to keep going. Ethan had to talk to him.

 

“So Ethan, do you think we faced something like this before then?”

Ethan took a deep breath and started explaining: “No. I still don’t know what you did exactly but you did that to defeat the Darach didn’t you?” He looked questioning at Scott who nodded.

“Yes, we sacrificed ourselves to protect our parents. We’ve overcharged the Nemeton to find it and to save them. Deaton said it could attract supernatural powers. Beacon Hills is like a lighthouse now. But what if the sacrifices before and Jennifer’s growing powers were the reason for it?”

 

He hoped that this would not be another threat. Maybe there were logical reasons for it. Maybe there was a simple explanation. But he secretly knew that he was lying to himself. There was always something or someone.

He didn’t know how they would be able to fight anything at the moment. They were all struggling with their recent losses, some better some worse. Another fight would only make it worse. People had begun talking. They asked about the many murder cases and the many strange things that had happened recently. He didn’t believe that they could go on as nothing would have happened.

But they had to. They had to continue, had to act like nothing had happened. They had to tell everyone that they got robbed and that the attacker had killed Allison. Lying and hiding determined their days.

 

Things just got worse. People kept going killed, no matter what they were doing. And the Benefactor hadn’t made it easier. There were still a lot of trespassers in Beacon Hills trying to kill someone, without realizing that they wouldn't get any money for it. Someone seemed to spread the tale again. Kill supernaturals in Beacon Hills and you'll get money for it.

First it had been easier, hiding the things, fighting the threats, erasing it out of his mind, not telling his mum. But now even though she knew and all of his friends knew it had become different. They couldn’t talk in school, in class about it because people would notice.

Danny had found out about the werewolves without anyone telling him and if he could everyone else could do it too. Normally they would just think they were crazy and call them freaks but now maybe they would go to the police. They would think they were insane and they would find evidences. And then they had to go to Eichen house.

They were too deep involved in this.

 

Scott couldn’t play hide and seek his whole life like Deucalion did. He didn’t want to. There were times where he wished that everything would be like it was at the beginning. Sure he wouldn’t meet Allison and would not date her but she would have been save. He would have been save and none of his friends would have died.

Maybe even the other students, the other sacrifices wouldn’t have happened. Everything had started with this one bite. This one cursed evening when Stiles had decided to play detective.

Scott didn’t blame him but he couldn’t stop thinking.

 

What if.

What if all of this hadn't happened.

What if their lives had gone in different ways?

Would they be save then? Or would it be even worse?

 

Thoughts like this were usual but normally he could fight them. He could hide them in the deepest place in his soul. Far away from everything else, locked away together with the memories of Allison. But this wasn’t working anymore.

Something had changed in the last weeks and he didn’t know what.

 

Then Ethan started talking again: “I’m sorry Scott, but I don’t think so. There is something else in this town. Deucalion knew about it even before the Darach had started her murders. He was far more interested in this whole story that he wanted to tell us. He did hours of research and kept it all very secret. Aiden”

He swallowed hard but continued: “Aiden found out that he wanted to hide something and so we started researching. The point is that this started about two months before we even came to Beacon Hills. Something else must have been the trigger, but we couldn’t find out what it was.

Deucalion claimed he would be interested in Derek but we didn’t believe him. We knew that he had hidden something essential; the problem was that we didn’t know what.”

 

He paused and cleared his throat. “Deucalion did stuff like this often and Aiden and I had made some kind of game out of it. Who was able to find out what Deucalion was hiding had won.”

Scott smiled sadly and Ethan’s voice was thick when he spoke again: “It was very boring in the pack. Well, it was better than before but it was pretty lonely though.”

His facial expression changed  like somebody had pressed a button.

 

It revealed something darker and his old self became visible again.

When Scott had met the twins first they were both dark and dangerous. They frightened them all and he could have never imagined them fitting into normal society. They had been too different.

But when they started going to high school they became friends with Lydia and Danny and they had changed. They were still dangerous and impressive but from time to time he could catch a glimpse of them smiling and laughing with their friends, talking to others, having fun like normal human beings.

 

Now it seemed like this change was deeper than they had made him believe. Maybe Deaton was right. Maybe they had changed; maybe it was sometimes just hidden under their past and their experiences?

But how far had Ethan changed? How far would he go without his twin brother by his side? Was he still him or was he now a twisted and unpredictable mourning wreck? Who was this mysterious man and what was Peter’s part in this story?

 

They had chosen to fight by their side. A fight that led to Aiden's death. Was Ethan seeking revenge? Could Scott really trust him or was he leading them into another trap? Prepared for them by Peter, like Kate did.

Scott didn't know what to think anymore. He knew how Ethan must have felt like. Aiden dying in his arms like Allison did in Scott's. He knew what grief did to people. Hell he experienced it day by day. And still he didn't want to believe that Ethan was evil. It couldn't be.

 

Scott knew he had be careful but there was good hidden in everyone. He had to give him another chance. Because this was what he did.

 

Ethan had lost everybody and now it was Scott's turn to help him. Like Derek did with him, like they did with Liam.

 

They had never had been friends before but it didn't matter. He was responsible for him now and he wouldn't sneak away.

 

Not this time.


	5. A New Threat

When Scott looked up something caught his attention. White mist had appeared and started sliding towards them, coming from the forest.  
  
He wanted to mention it, wanted to ask if they shouldn’t better leave but Ethan started talking again, his voice concerned and throaty.  
  
“Scott, listen! This is bigger than everything we have ever seen. I haven’t found much but what I’ve heard that’s, that's enough.”

  
  
He shivered and played nervously with his hands. “We heard rumours, legends before but I have never believed that it could be true. I thought Deucalion had made it up to scare us, to stop us from researching.  
  
It was too unrealistic, too scary. The signs fit in too perfectly to be real.  
  
I’ve just taken it as another piece in his everlasting game. Another puzzle to solve.

  
  
But then I started thinking about it again. I started researching and whatever this is, whatever is coming next. It is real and it is ancient.  
  
There were rumours about vanished people and razed cities.  
  
There are no many tales, no much lore, there is basically nothing you could know about this thing.  
  
But it is there and it is erasing all evidences. No one sees is, no one speaks about it, no one survives it.

  
  
If somebody mentions it it’s always called the black spirit. A faint whisper of nothing. Poisonous, deadly but never actually seen. It could be some kind of a monster that can’t control itself or another demon who knows.  
  
I found a book.” He paused shortly and cleared his throat. “Well it’s more likely a book series. I found it in Deucalion’s library one night and it’s basically a top ten of threats. A book full of mysteries whispered around campfires, never known, never seen. A book full of legends passed on for generations, a book full of secrets unknown to the man on the street.

  
These books are a treasure. I’ve never seen something like this before. They are in some ways similar to the bestiary but in other ways totally different.  
  
I don’t know how many people wrote them at the end, but it has been passed on for generations. They wrote down the date when they added a new chapter or changed it and it looks like it has been copied a lot. The first entry was dated on 1585, the last one on the 13th September 2005.  
  
Together they tried to list all the myths, wrote down everything they could find. And they tried to rank it too.  
  
The nogitsune is mentioned in it. Do you know how they call it? Most likely to survive.”

  
  
He snorted. “It’s a list of all fairy tales, all legends ever recorded. Somebody has sorted it. There are categories like the usual legends: fairies, werewolves or mermaids.  
  
And then. Then there are the real, the dangerous appearances.  
  
Ghost stories like Bloody Mary, spirits like the nogitsune, gods like Loki or Zeus, you’ll find everything in there, detailed and sorted. Every single myth in this entire world.  
  
But not this thing.  
  
There isn’t even a name for it. They called it black spirit, but just because they didn’t find anything else.

  
  
People were too afraid to talk about it, they are still afraid.”  
  
He stopped and silence surrounded them for a while. Both of them thought about what Ethan just had said.  
  
The weather changed completely, most likely to emphasize his words.

  
  
Scott shivered, a fierce wind was blowing now and thunderclouds started mounting up.  
  
When he was finally able to speak his voice was husky: “And this list. If the nogitsune is listed as most likely to survive. Where is this black spirit positioned then?”  
  
He was afraid. He didn’t want to know how dangerous this new threat was, but Scott knew that waiting wouldn’t help anything. Not here not in this world full of shadows and death.

  
  
“Well” Ethan’s voice interrupted his painful thoughts.  
  
“This list is very vague. It has various classifications, but depending on what you’re believing in the ranking changes a lot.  
  
We can’t just believe everything that’s said there. It’s difficult it could be a trap or simply false. We don’t know anything.”

  
  
He bit his lips nervously, his hands were shaking and his breath formed little clouds before his mouth.  
  
Scott knew that he was hiding something, something essential. He could see it in his eyes. He could feel the fear and the terror billowing around Ethan.  
  
There was something, something that he didn’t know, something dangerous, something terrifying.  
  
“Tell me, please Ethan just tell me. What’s the catch in it? Just do it. Say it.”

  
  
He bit his lip and his hands shuddered. Even though Ethan hadn’t revealed what he was talking about or what it was that he and this mysterious man were so afraid of, Scott knew that this wasn’t their usual business.  
  
This was even more dangerous than the nogitsune. More dangerous than everything they had ever faced before.  
  
He could see it in Ethan’s eyes, he could smell the fear he tried to hide.

  
  
Scott closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
He could smell it everywhere. A cocktail of fear, anger, grief and guilt.  
  
The smell waved around him, soaked his clothes and laid onto him like a second skin.  
  
He shivered again, felt how he became goose bumps.

  
  
The clouds reached the sun now and it was getting darker. Leaves whirled around them and they heard steamed claps of thunder.  
  
The storm was coming fast.  
  
A rolling thunder cannonaded when Ethan started speaking again. His voice was still throaty and the thunder drowned it, but Scott sat near enough to understand everything.

  
  
“Scott this is something we can’t handle alone. It has already killed hundreds of people maybe even more, and no one knows anything.  
  
This thing is good.” A thunder underlined his words. Sharp wind gusts made Scott’s skin prickle. “It is intelligent and able to do whatever is needed. How else is this lack of information explainable?”  
  
Scott sat there, still not able to let the information sink.

  
  
Finally he asked what had bothered him the whole time. “But what if this isn’t true? What if it’s just a collaboration of different things, different accidents that channelled into one myth? Who tells you that this is necessarily true?”  
  
Ethan tilted his head. “No one, no one does, you're right. I’ve thought about this possibility too. We actually found out about this threat a long time ago.”  
  
His voice started getting huskier again, the way it did when he spoke about Aiden.

  
  
“Deucalion’s library was huge and there were a few possible reasons for his sudden interest in Beacon Hills. One was the true alpha, another one the Kanima, or the werejaguar, you had to face already."  
  
He laughed bitterly.  
  
"And the last one was this thing. After you turned out to be the true alpha Aiden thought it would be over, but I wasn’t that sure.

  
  
I did the research for this – let’s call it just spirit for a while- and although I didn’t find much there were some similarities. It was like the spirit was foreshadowing itself and then.”  
  
He swallowed dryly.  
  
“Then I found the book, I’ve talked about. But this wasn’t just a book itself as I thought at the beginning. It took me weeks to find the books and read them all. They were pretty damaged and at some points it was really difficult to make out the words, but in the end I was able to find out what I searched for. But it just made it worse. If they didn’t how should we be able to find out more?”

  
  
Scott let out the breath, he didn’t realize he was holding: “Well you’ve heard about the Bestiary? We actually have the Argents version of it, if you are interested. Maybe there is something in it you haven’t seen before?”  
  
Ethan smiled and shook his head. “Yes and no. It would be interesting to see their point of view but I doubt that I will be able to find anything.  
  
The Bestiary only includes things the hunters have fought against. They collect the stories, the fighting and everything else and sometimes they share it with other hunter families.

  
But mysteries, legends without any “proof”, things they have never fought against are not mentioned.  
  
The nogitsune for example is a tale from Japan. And they didn’t know anything about it, until it came to Beacon Hills and Chris Argent started taking notes.  
  
The books I’m talking about are different. It started as one book back then- the Book of Shadows and Mischief. But they had to split it up into several parts, because it became too much.  
  
They’ve updated it recently, sometimes there are entries only a few hours apart and it contains a lot more information than a simple bestiary.

  
  
Appearances, when, where. How the situations were before and how they were afterwards, what can be used against it. Who is most likely to be affected, to die, to resist.  
  
It depends of course. Things like werewolves, banshees, fairies are more common and there are different tales from different times and places. They’ve tried to organize it, to make it as simple as possible but there is still a huge book for werewolves only. However this spirit managed to get... ”  
  
He broke. "It's just... I'm. I'm sorry. It’s hard to focus. I’m always saying the same. I need to...”  
  
He stopped talking and looked into the forest, giving Scott the opportunity to think about all the new information.

  
  
These books seemed to be a reliable source, but he wasn’t sure. They could be faked and Ethan still hadn’t told him what they were facing. He called it a spirit but he also said it could be some kind of a monster. What if he had made it up? And this wasn’t true? What did he want them to do?  
  
But what would happen if all of this was true? And they were going to ignore it? What if they were going to face another nogitsune? Unprepared like the last time?  
  
A loud crack stopped his overwhelming thoughts. A lightning bolt had driven apart a tree not far away from them. The remaining wood started burning and the crackling thunder trembled his entire body.

  
  
“Scott, I know it sounds unbelievable and it’s very likely that this spirit is just an imagination but what if it isn’t?  
  
Our research and preparation is probably not going to be necessary.

  
  
But do you really want to risk all those lives?  
  
Do you really want to sit there later and knowing that you could have prevented it.

  
  
That it was your fault.  
  
Because trust me. This is exactly what you are going to do.

  
  
And there is not going to be any excuse for what you have done.  
  
No peace with yourself. Never.  
  
Are you really going to risk that?”

  
Ethan’s voice trailed away and his whole face hardened. He balled his fists and Scott could hear blood dropping on the ground. He turned around and saw Ethan transforming. He shifted back and forth, his whole body shaking.  
  
“Ethan, hey Ethan are you okay? “ Scott tried to touch his shoulder but Ethan pushed him away and growled.

  
  
“This is your fault, this is all your fault.” He stopped and roared at Scott now fully transformed.  
  
“Why couldn’t you...?” A thunder drowned his words.  
  
Scott flinched away. This was impossible. He stumbled and fell.

  
  
The ground was wet and cold and Scott could hear the heartbeat pounding in his ears.  
  
He tried to get back onto his feet but Ethan was faster.  
  
He raised his hands and Scott could see his muscles tensing. He would attack and Scott wouldn’t be able to protect himself. Not himself, not his friends.  
  
He couldn’t let that happen.

  
  
Scott started roaring as loud as he could. His eyes turned red and he could feel his skin prickling as he transformed.  
  
Ethan fell on his knees and covered his ears, whimpering. His body twisted and he was shaking uncontrolled.  
  
Scott roared and roared but nothing happened.

  
  
Then finally Ethan changed back. His hands and his mouth were bloody and Scott could smell the fear radiating from him.  
  
When he lifted his head Scott could see confusion written all over his face.

  
“What, what has happened?” Ethan’s voice was rough and shaking.  
  
“What did I do?” He looked at his hands and touched his lips and his confusion turned into panic.  
  
Ethan tried to stand, but his legs gave up under him and he had to try again, still failing.

  
  
“I’m sorry Scott, please. I didn’t want to...” He stopped and seemed to search for words.  
  
Suddenly a wave of smell hit Scott’s nose. Ash, dust and something Scott couldn’t identify.

  
  
“Scott, please...” Ethan stopped again. “You need to listen to me. You can chain me up, drug me with wolfsbane, I don’t care. Just please listen.” He sounded desperate, higher than usual.  
  
A gush of wind hit them and suddenly everything was filled with this strange scent. Scott's skin was tingling and all of his senses yelled to run away as fast as possible.  
  
But he couldn’t, he had to ignore the upcoming danger.

  
  
Whatever it was.

  
  
It was more important than a thunderstorm, more important than uncontrolled shifts.

  
  
He needed to know what Ethan was going to tell him.

  
  
He needed to know everything.


	6. Nightmares

“Stiles! What are you doing out here? Stiles! Hey Stiles, do you hear me?”

Lydia hurried as she saw Stiles sitting alone on an old wrecked bench. He sat in the cold staring at the Lacrosse field, a worried look on his face, shivering. The wind was playing with his hair and his oversized shirt waved around him.

The weather was changing fast. It got colder again, clouds were covering the sun and leaves were whirling all around the schoolyard.

Stiles looked like a little boy wearing his daddy’s clothes. They were bleached, seemed twice as big as he was and still they were his own.

He had lost a lot of weight in the last weeks. You could see it everywhere, in his cheeks, his arms, his stomach, even his legs looked skinnier. He looked like he had been ill for a very long time. His eyes had lost their usual shine and his hair looked like he hadn’t showered for weeks.

 

His redden cheeks stand in contrast to his pale skin and the shadows under his brown eyes made him look like he hadn’t slept at all, which was probably true.

His nightmares had started again. He had told her last week, after he collapsed on their way home.

His jeep had been broken and so they had decided to walk for a few days until Derek was able to fix it. Lydia had decided to keep him company instead of driving him. A little walk had never hurt anybody, well at least until now.

 

It had been a sunny day and everything had been fine. Stiles had mocked their math teacher. She had tried to explain Malia something, who was totally confused. The problem was that Mrs. Fleming loved to gesture a lot and the look on Malia’s face didn’t make the situation any better.

It had been hilarious and Stiles mimicking made it even funnier. He spun around throwing his arms everywhere and then he fell. First she hadn’t realized that something was wrong. Stiles was clumsy and him falling down was completely normal. They were all used to it.

 

But when he had stopped talking Lydia had known that something must have happened. Stiles never missed an opportunity to talk or to make fun about Mrs. Fleming. When she turned around she saw him there, still lying on the pavement. She rushed back. But when she had finally reached him he already started moving again.

She wanted to call the emergency line but Stiles refused to go to the hospital and finally they had agreed to call Melissa, who was luckily not at work and picked them up.

She had driven them home and had checked on Stiles. Scott had been somewhere in the woods with Kira and so they had been alone. It took Melissa a while to find her emergency kit and so Lydia had taken care of Stiles. She had forced him to drink something and had checked his blood pressure.

It seemed like their first aid course had some use after all.

 

Melissa had checked the rest and after a while she had declared that he was okay. She had instructed him to sleep and had asked Lydia to check on him every few hours, to make sure that he was okay. He had experience a light brain concussion but with a little rest he should be fine.

But Lydia had to make sure, that Stiles would sleep. It wouldn’t get better without rest. There was no point in stressing himself out and that was when he told them. But not before they had to promised not to tell anyone. Not Stiles’ dad, not even Scott. And they did. Of course they did.

Stiles had told them how the nightmares had started again, after the fight in La Iglesia. How they had changed, how they’ve gotten even worse. He wasn’t hallucinating anymore and he didn’t wake up in the forest either. But now Stiles was trapped in his dreams and had to watch people die. He told them how he couldn’t do anything against it. No matter what he was trying to do nothing seemed to help.

 

He had started crying helplessly. Lydia had left to make him some tea and a hot water bottle and Melissa had tried to calm him down, but it didn’t work well.

Afterwards he had told them the horrible truth of his dreams.

He described how he woke up in the same scenario every time. There was a wooden corridor with many doors. From there on the dreams had always changed but there was one thing that stayed the same. Someone was killing people and Stiles had explained that he could not do anything against it. He couldn't help them, couldn't save them and he couldn't even hide. He had to watch them die every single night and the dream didn't end before. And then he woke up soaked in sweat, shivering and screaming.

They had tried to help him, tried to calm him down. Lydia had explained him some methods to test if you were dreaming. Counting worked well, remembering difficult and complex theories, but Stiles had tried them all already. He said he had 10 fingers, could remember almost everything, sometimes he even knew how he got to the place in his dreams.

 

With Melissa by his right and her by his left side and a tea in his hand, his panic attack slowed down after a while. But it had been rough.

He had been so afraid when he told them. He had told them that nothing would help, nothing would make sense and that’s why he couldn’t sleep. He was too afraid of what would come, too afraid of what might possess him next. Stiles didn't describe it in detail but it wasn't necessary. His expression had said enough. The fear in his eyes, his shaking hands, it was not like they hadn’t experienced this before.

Melissa had tried to explain that the nightmares didn't have to be necessarily supernatural. It could also be a mental reaction on the recent events. She suggested Stiles to visit a psychiatrist and gave him some pills that should give him dreamless nights but it hadn’t worked. Stiles still hadn’t slept.

 

And they couldn’t ask Deaton. He was still in Eichen House, unconscious and not responding to anything or anyone.

This whole situation was wicked.

 

Stiles needed sleep but he was too afraid to try it. And when he actually slept it only got worse. They've tried several things after their talk. Calming music, Melissa's pills.

Stiles had even decided to tell Scott who was sleeping next to him for the next week. They had tried everything to give Stiles the comfort and safety he needed, but none of it had worked.

Stiles was even more afraid to sleep now. The nogitsune still haunted him and he was too afraid of what he might become next.

 

Sometimes he even started hallucinating again and his lack of sleep made everything just worse. They couldn’t know what was real and what was not. What was caused by their fear and what had been actual symptoms of his sleep deprivation. It could be another “thing” or nothing. Maybe it was just Stiles’ psyche? But not even Melissa was able to tell the difference. The wolves were able to pick up his fear and they were able to take the pain away but none of them could really say what was happening.  

Lydia had thought about talking to Mrs. Morell but she wasn’t sure if they could really trust her. She wasn’t sure if they trust anyone anymore.

 

The wind howled and Lydia could feel little raindrops on her skin. She was still walking towards Stiles when he sighed and shook his head a bit. It was obvious that something had happened. Something that had concerned him so much that he didn’t care about the weather, about his health anymore. The fall had arrived soon and the leaves had turned yellow and red. It got colder and the friends usually spend their break in the building now. They met in the library but today neither Scott nor Stiles appeared and they immediately knew that something must have happened. She and Kira split up to search them and now she was there.

 

When she finally arrived she touched him slightly at the shoulder. “Stiles, can you hear me?”

“Stiles?”

He winced and turned his head.

 

“Lydia” the relief was written all over his face. “God you’ve frightened me! What are you doing out here?”

He moved over and she sat down, her arms clasped around her body. It was cold, but she didn’t care.

 

Stiles looked at her and then he realised how short her dress was. “What are you doing here?” he repeated. “It’s cold and stormy you should go inside. You’ll freeze to death when you stay here.”

He stood up and took the coat he was sitting on. “Here, that should help at least a bit.” Lydia smiled and took his jacket. When she put it on it was still cold but it protected her from the wind.

 

Stiles sat down and looked at her.

Then he put his arm around her and pulled her nearer like he wanted to make sure that it would be as warm as possible for her.

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder and after a while she started talking: “I searched you. I don’t like eating alone since, since Allison is gone.”

Her voice broke and for a moment they didn’t say anything.

 

When Lydia started speaking again her voice was stilled agitated: “You disappeared so fast after class and you weren’t in the library.

 

I don’t like spending time with the others.” She paused. “They just won’t stop asking questions, over and over again. You should think a few months would make them forget but now they seem to ask even more. Either that or they try to avoid it too desperatly. Why can we go back to normal? ”

 

A silent tear rolled down her face. “What are you doing here Stiles? And where is Scott? Kira and I searched the whole break. Where have you been? Did something happen? ”

 

* * *

 

 

_(I made a few edits on youtube ([⎈](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHAKWw-Erq9NNnK8TO_mEUQ)) and tumblr ([ღ](http://the-book-of-shadows-and-mischief.tumblr.com/)), bc I'm still bloody inspired. Wanna say hi?)_

 


	7. Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw: panic attack

Stiles started panicking. He could feel his hands shaking and his breaths became faster. Was it so obvious? Did even Lydia think he was...?

He bit on his lip, tried to calm down but it didn’t work. He had already tried to control his breathing before, tried to think about his favourite movie, his favourite characters but nothing had helped.

 

He couldn’t longer deny it.

It was not like they weren’t right.

 

The nogitsune was his fault. He hadn’t been strong enough. He wasn’t like Scott and he would never ever be like him. He would never find the magical solution that solved all their problems.

He hadn’t been able to safe his friends, he wasn’t even able to fight his monsters now. How should he be able to fight something else? Something physical? He was no werewolf, no kitsune, no hunter. He was the skinny, useless friend that had to be protected at all costs.

 

He hadn’t been able to fight the demon, he had tried but it had been impossible. It had nested under his skin and had driven him mad.

The nogitsune needed his despair and pain to exist and Stiles had been the victim all along. He hadn’t told the others but it had been there long before they even realized that something had changed. And it would back and he wouldn’t be able to fight it.

 

It would haunt until he finally did what was expected from him. It’s not like they even tried. He could see it. Their pity, their fear and their determination. They had promised that it wouldn’t be like the last time. And they were right. It wouldn’t. He wouldn’t let it be.

The last time their sacrifice had opened the doors for him. They had yelled for attention and they got it. But at least they had known that something was coming. The nogitsune had visited them all and they were all feeling it. But somehow Stiles had been the most interesting.

 

“You have the greatest potential of pain. Such a great loss, so many fears.” The demon had been like a silent visitor in his brain. Watching, enjoying the pain and sometimes he had dropped a few words. Just enough to feed his doubts. A little question here, another comment there. Nothing much.

But enough for him to break apart, to fall into pieces.

 

Stiles had lost the fight and still the others acted like there was nothing to blame him for.

But what would happen if he came back. The nogitsune wasn’t stupid. He watched, he learned and he loved to trick his enemies. What if he wasn’t actually gone? What if he was still somewhere there, hiding in his brain?

 

Deaton had told them that the nogitsune would able to change his form and that it just looked like Stiles. But he was not so sure about that.

The nogitsune had been his constant companion. He had haunted him in his dreams. Was always there, was always watching.

He found a way to make all his fears come true. All his doubts, his hidden fears, everything he had panicked about became true.

 

At some point he had thought it couldn’t get worse, but bloody hell he had been so wrong. Instead of fading away his fears got worse and they didn’t disappear. The nogitsune had left but he hadn’t taken the pain away.

They might have saved their parents that night. But at which costs?

 

Stiles flinched at these thoughts. What was it that he became now? Letting them die had been no option and would never be one. But still was this the price they had paid?

 

Life for Life?

Aiden, Allison, his life?

 

Stiles knew that the nogitsune had planned his death. He had called it the redemption. The time Stiles soul would have stopped to exist and nogitsune would have fully taken his body.

 

But Scott had saved him. Scott the everlasting hero.

He knew that he wasn’t fair.

Scott was his best friends, his brother. They had grown up together and had been so close before. Before all of this had happened.

 

Before he, Stiles turned into a monster.

Was it his fault that Allison died?

 

He had always been able to see what to nogitsune did, he could feel, taste, hear it and he wasn’t able to do anything.

Sometimes he just woke up and it was like a bad dream but sometimes, sometimes he found himself in the forest, covered in dirt and blood.

He hadn’t been able to differentiate between sleeping and being awake. It had been a blurry mess of sensations and even now he was not sure what had happened and what was hallucinated or dreamed.

 

And he hadn’t been able to talk to Deaton about it. They had been too busy with fighting and then.

Then Allison died and talking to Deaton was the least thing he wanted to do.

A few weeks later Stiles had been confident enough to visit him, but he hadn’t been there.

 

Scott had told him that he had left due to family issues but Stiles didn’t believe him. He knew Scott and he could see when he was lying.

He had kept a secret, an important secret and now Deaton was lying in Eichen House. How could he have been so careless? The director of Eichen House had told them, that he warned Deaton. But he hadn’t listened. Why? He had never acted like this before.

 

Stiles had talked to Scott about it but he said that it everyone made mistakes.

This was so ironic.

 

Whenever they talked to Deaton he knew answers.

Everything he had said before fitted perfectly. All of his vague descriptions had been true, their sacrifice, the open door in their minds.

Why was his information then suddenly false? Or if it wasn’t what had tempted him so much? And if this information had been wrong what else was wrong too?

 

What if the nogitsune possessed him like the demon he had been?

What if he hadn’t taken his shape?

What if it had been Stiles all along?

 

He had seen everything and his perspective had been clear.

He was doing these awful things. He had seen himself stabbing Scott and he couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t even talk.

He was like a visitor in his own brain.

 

He had screamed, had tried to reach someone else, but he wasn’t able to do anything.

It felt like his consciousness was trapped inside his brain. There had been an invisible wall, a barrier that kept him inside.

He had tried to slam it, beat and scratched but nothing had helped. He had been a prisoner of his own mind and there had been no way to escape.

He hadn’t been strong enough. And everyone knew it.

 

They wouldn’t trust him anymore. It would never be like before again, never ever.

Everyone would think about how he had tortured them all. Even if they tried to forget it, tried to convince themselves that this wasn’t Stiles, they weren’t able to.

 

He saw it in Scott eyes, in Kira’s, in Isaac’s. Scott has been his best friend, his brother and now he couldn’t spend time with him without thinking about the demon.

And he was right. There was nothing that Stiles could do.

 

Ethan, Allison and many others were dead because of him.

 

It was his fault and he wouldn’t deny it anymore.

There was no second were he didn’t wish he could change anything.

 

Even if this would cost his life.

Everything was so pointless without them.

He had lost his friends.

 

Allison was dead and the rest didn’t trust him anyway.

 

He could see the fear in their eyes when they met him; he sensed the false laughter and the lies between their lips.

 

Did they think he was stupid?

That he wouldn’t recognize it?

The sudden silence when he came, the nonsense they were talking about?

 

He hadn’t just lost a good friend he had lost everything he had.

There was no one in his back, no one to talk to and no one who would trust him ever again.

 

He had hoped it would change with the time. That he could prove that he was Stiles again, that he could actually help someone. But it hadn’t changed, it got better but it never left.

 

The fear was burned into their brains and there was no way of getting it out anymore.

 

And now the nightmares were coming back. After everything had calmed down, he was the one causing trouble again.

 

In La Iglesia he felt needed, respected and now everything crashed into pieces again.

 

What an irony of fate that he had felt more alive while fighting assassins and Berserkers than he did now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try and make this more fluffy and full of action in the next chapters... but I needed these really personal chapters as a basic for the things that will happen later.


	8. Panic Attacks

Lydia could feel how Stiles’ breaths fastened. His fingers tapped nervously on her shoulder and his whole body had started shivering against hers. She wasn’t sure if he shivered because of the weather but when she raised her head and looked him into the eyes she could see it.

Stiles was having another panic attack.

She recognized the symptoms. It was the same in the bathroom before the nogitsune had possessed him.

 

Hallucinations, sleep deprivations, it was the same and yet it got worse.

He wasn’t possessed anymore, they had tested him more than once. They had seen the nogitsune die, had caught it and still they were afraid it might return. A fear Lydia knew she wouldn't be able to forget.

 

But still there was something else happening.

She could see it. Stiles had lost a lot of weight and his skin colour had changed.

Whatever the possession had caused it got worse with the time.

She couldn’t imagine how guilty Stiles must felt.

 

She knew the feeling, she had always been too late, only able to find dead bodies. She had known that she was a banshee and not able to find them before they were dead. And still she tried it over and over again.

Now she was able to sense even more, to predict something but she would never be able to prevent everything and she had to accept that.

But with Stiles it was completely different. The nogitsune had possessed him. They knew that it hadn’t only taken Stiles shape. Deaton had told them, had warned them that they might kill Stiles too if they tried to do anything against the demon.

 

The problem was that they never knew when it had been Stiles and when it was only the nogitsune taking his shape.

Deaton had tried to find out if there was anything to distinguish them but he hadn’t found anything they didn’t know before. Later on he left them, attempting to do research on the after effects of possession but he hadn’t been able to tell them anything before Kate appeared again and they had been too busy fighting assassins and Berserkers.

They had agreed on not telling Stiles, not wanting to cause more grief and despair but now she doubted that it had helped anything.

Stiles was sensing something, she knew it and she knew that he wouldn’t stop blaming himself. What if their behaviour had made it even worse? She needed to talk to Scott and to Derek as soon as possible.

 

Scott was the alpha, had always been their leader but Stiles was the man in the back.

The one who was suspicious. Who was paying attention to everything.

The one who made sure that everything was fine. Who developed plans and searched for information.

Stiles looked like their little wallflower but in reality he was more badass than all of them together.

Even without any supernatural powers he was able to get along with everything.

 

Everyone else was special, a werewolf, a hunter or a banshee but Stiles was simply human. He had no special combat training, he had basically nothing and still he was the one who knew the most and the one everyone went to when they needed help. He coordinated them as much as Scott protected them.

They only asked Deaton when Stiles had no idea anymore and this happened rarely. But now this was taken away from him. The nogitsune overpowered him. Stiles had no longer been able to decide or to think properly and Lydia was sure that this was driving him mad now.

His hallucinations and panic attacks had started after their sacrifice. What if they wouldn’t stop anymore? What if this was a horrible circle? Recovery and setback over and over again?

Lydia knew she couldn’t be there for him every time. It would be impossible to spend every single second with him just too make sure that he wouldn’t start panicking again. This would become really unhealthy for both of them and she was not going to do this.

 

They had to do something else.

Now she was there and she could stop it. They had experienced attacks like this often enough and she had developed a way to bring him back.

It worked most of the times and it wasn’t as attention-grabbing as kissing him.

 

She placed her hand on his back and started massaging him lightly. She painted letters and musters with her fingers. It wasn’t much but it helped.

Stiles breath slowed down and his body relaxed. He was still very troubled, Lydia could see that, but he wasn’t panicking anymore.

His shivering hands calmed down and his eyes got clear again. She could feel the tension falling away.

 

“Stiles, why don’t you come in with me?” she asked.

For a while Stiles didn’t answer but finally he said something. “No, I have to wait. Scott is out there and I need to.”

He stopped and Lydia realized that it wasn’t over yet.

 

“What do you need to do Stiles?” She asked while her hands wandered up. “I’m here, tell me. Please.” She started playing with his hair.

Suddenly a harsh wind gust hit them and they shivered again.

A storm was coming. Lydia could see the clouds and smelled the rain.

But she didn’t care anymore. She had Stiles jacket and he was the only thing important at the moment. She had to make sure that he was okay.

 

She couldn’t endure the thought of him having another attack. Only the thought of it made her feeling sick.

It was like a part of her missing when he wasn’t there. She had to know where he was, that he was save and that there were people around him. There was no other way. She had tried to distract herself but it had never worked. She didn't know what had caused her sudden behaviour and the rational part of her knew that it was strange, maybe a reaction on Allison's death.

And still it was like an unspoken connection that held them together. It felt so natural, as he had been there since she was born.

 

The dark clouds came closer and you could hear a hollow thunder rolling in the distance. This was not a normal storm that was gathering there. This was something deeper, older. Lydia could sense it.

 

She felt it in her bones, she could even smell it. Dust and ashes filled her nose.

But suddenly a heavy scent hit her. It smelled like orchids and roses.

It was a bizarre contrast but it fit in a certain way. A dark combination, a warning sent by somebody.

 

Something was about to happen and this storm was only the beginning.


	9. The Thunderstorm

Stiles could feel the wind on his bare skin. He shivered. The weather had turned. Thunder clouds were gathering the sky and he heard thunder growling in the distance. It was getting colder and colder.

Suddenly he heard a distant noise, felt the air vibrating and something hit him in the chest. He startled back into the bench.

 

It seemed to come from the field. He couldn’t say what it was but there was definitely something.

There it was again, longer. He could feel it in his heart. It was like a sting but it was still different.

It felt like the whole world turned around. It felt like he was floating somewhere. He could see everything clear, he could feel Lydia beside him, the ground under his feet but still it felt strange.

 

The colours were brighter than usual and he could hear the wind rushing through the trees, he felt the wind gusts on his skin, the bench under him, hard and cold.

The feeling didn’t last long, and first he thought he just imagined it.

But there it was again, longer than before.

 

He could smell Lydia’s perfume. She smelled like strawberries and shampoo. Strange.

Crash. A lightning flashed over the sky, thunder following immediately behind.

His skin tingled and he could hear his own breaths, louder than usual.

 

He was even able to see the light breaking in the glass of the basketball basket at the end of the yard as the lighting made its way through the clouds.

And there it was again. The strange noise.

The first thing he saw when he finally turned around was Lydia.

 

Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth opened to a perfect circle. She looked into the direction of the field, horrified, her hair whirling around her. It looked like the opening scene in a horror film. Her hand was moving upwards, stopping at her mouth.

“Lydia?! What has happened? Is somebody...?”

He didn’t finish the sentence- the look in Lydia’s eyes stopped him.

 

Her expression was always the same when she used her powers. When something was yelling for her attention.

It was a look full of horror and pain, her eyes wide, her head turned into the direction of the vibrations as she would listen to something. Stiles could feel the air circulating around her and the breath before his mouth became visible.

 

This was different than all of the other visions he had seen before. He could feel something, he actually hear something. This had never happened before.

He could see the air vibrating as the next wave hit them.

Lydia hadn’t screamed yet. But she had seen something and Stiles wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what it was.

*****

 

Lydia could see Stiles worried face.

But she had not the time to explain what she had heard or seen and what would happen if they didn’t hurry.

She stood up and pulled the Stiles with her.

 

The wind howled and raindrops started falling down slowly and then faster, faster and faster.

When they reached the end of the schoolyard Stiles' jacket was completely wet and her hair was full with water. Her shoes became dirty in the mud but she didn’t care.

They had to warn Scott.

 

Something evil was going to happen and they had to leave soon. Or it would be too late.

 

The thunderstorm was now over their heads. The clouds and the rain made it nearly impossible to see anything. It was dark and rainy and only the thunderbolts brought some light.

Lydia and Stiles started running towards the Lacrosse field, but it seemed like they didn’t move at all.

It felt like running through liquid.

 

The wind gusts became faster and more common and Stiles jacket was flying around her. Stiles shirt stuck on his body and his trousers did the same.

And then suddenly everything around them became quiet.

 

The wind and lighting stopped and they were shrouded in darkness. It was cold, wet and she could hear someone growling from afar. Her skin tingled.

She tried moving back, but it didn’t work. She wanted to step aside but she couldn’t move her leg anymore.

They were trapped. A thunder was growling in the distance, but its lighting was never to be seen.

 

Lydia shivered. She could hear something moving, leaves were rustling and she thought she heard somebody breathing right behind her.

She turned around but she couldn’t see anyone. It was too dark. She tried to move, tried to feel if somebody was there but she couldn’t. It was like somebody had put a weight on her shoulders and had pressed her into a small cage.

 

Her breath fastened and she started to panic. What was happening?

“Stiles?” her voice sounded hollow. “Stiles are you still there?”

 

“Stiles!” She could feel his hand beside her but he didn’t move. His hand was linked with hers, ice cold and stiff like a stone.

She turned around, started touching his face, waiting for some reaction. But there was none. He wasn’t even breathing.  

Lydia was terrified. She could hear the wind howling silently in the distance.

 

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she could see Stiles silhouette now. She tried to pull away, tried to free herself but it was beyond hope.

Suddenly something touched her neck. She flinched, screamed and started hitting the air behind her. But there was nothing.

 

She felt how the blood started tripping from her wrist and there it was again. It was like the hand of ghost, leaving prickles on her whole skin. The feeling moved, circled around her back.

And then she realized it. Somebody was writing letters on her back. Lydia tried to concentrate on the feeling. A straight line upwards her spine, a little bow and another line.

 

R.

U.

N.

 

She shivered. What was going on? Why would somebody...?

And then suddenly she could move again. Stiles pulled her forward like he had never stopped running and she tumbled behind him.

She could breathe normally and the weight that pressed her lungs together was gone.

 

She tried to run faster and it worked. They were moving. It was raining again and she could feel how her muscles started protesting. Stiles was “slightly” faster than her and she had problems keeping up with him. 

She stumbled and the smell hit her again.

 

She stopped abruptly.

 

But Stiles continued running for a few seconds, pulled her forwards and both fell to the ground.

 

Lydia was petrified.

 

*****

 

Stiles didn’t realize what had happened. He tried to sit up but Lydia pushed him back down and looked around with panic in her eyes.

It was hard to see anything at all but Stiles tried to figure out what she was looking at.

The thunderstorm raged around them and the rain fell down like a wall of water.

 

It got even darker and the wind started howling again, singing the gruesome song of horror and loss. He could hear it, could feel leaves and branches hit his face and he could feel the water dropping down his neck. But he couldn’t feel the wind gusts anymore. Stiles shivered again and held her hand tighter. This wasn't normal. 

 

Finally it seemed like Lydia found was she has searched. She had stopped looking around and stared at something.

But as soon as Stiles sat up and turned his head to look at the same spot a huge lightning bolt crashed into it.

The force pressed them down and the wind gusts started blowing again.

 

Stiles felt dizzy and he was blind for a few moments.

White spots appeared in his view and everything vibrated around him.

The thunder rolled immediately after the lighting.

 

His ears ringed but he had no time to recover.

Lydia took his hand and pulled him up.

 

“We have to hurry! We don’t have much time anymore!”

She shouted into his ear, said something else, but the thunder was too loud. Stiles couldn’t understand anything.

He stood up and followed her. His whole body hurt, he could feel how warm blood was dropping down his face from where a sharp branch had hit him. His legs felt like they would give up under him and he was still shivering without any control over his body.

 

But it didn’t matter the only important thing at the moment was to save Scott.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank former vandal for his amazing teen wolf songs (war, war pt 2) and everyone who made fanvideos with it. I know it's unlikely for them to read this but the songs and videos are really inspiring and you should really check them out!!!


	10. The Attack

Ethan looked around. The storm became worse. The wind intensified and it started raining. The drops were falling faster and faster. Clouds where gathering to one black mess and he could hear thunder not far away from them.

There was something in the wind, something he couldn’t place. But it didn’t matter.

 

He had to do it now. He had to gain Scott’s trust or the pack would never trust him again. Not if that spirit was really coming. It would breathe into their necks and they wouldn’t even realize that it was standing behind them. They would be dead before they could even remotely understand what was happening. This was their first and last chance to survive and they had to take it.

 

“Scott listen, I, it was never planned to escalate like this. We didn’t want anyone to get murdered.” He coughed. “Well, at least after Jennifer had separated us.” He smiled weakly. “I never wanted to fall back to this, you know. My biggest fear was to become a beta again, to be used and abused. And then I became an omega. I am now even weaker than the lowest member of a pack." He snorted. "Trust me I would have done everything just to keep the spark. But I couldn’t.” A silent tear dropped down his face.

 

“I didn’t want to become the bitch again, Scott. When Deucalion found us, we swore that this would never happen to us again. We would be alphas or nothing.” He sighed. “No one would be able to torture us, to separate us. No one would ever try to humiliate us. We would be respected and feared, that was his promise. And then we came to Beacon Hills and everything fell apart.

 

I know you don’t like it.” He exhaled loudly. “But I also know that there is nothing I can do to fix what I’ve done. There is no excuse. I just want you to understand. I was callous and cruel but I was successful. It had always worked before and no one was ever criticising me. So why should I change? And then. Then all of this happened.” He sighed.

“I” his voice broke.

“went to see a therapist after” He paused. “After the fight. I thought it might be useful after all that happened but it never really made any difference at all. The pain is still there and I’m not an inch better than before.” His voice had turned bitter.

 

“But the therapist told me that monsters are created, not born. And that they could change. We” his voice broke again.

“I do have changed and I want to help.” He looked down on his feet.

“And I can prove it. You can read my thoughts if you want. You just have to stick your claws into my neck and then you’ll see it. As you know it’s impossible to hide anything especially when a true alpha is doing it. I read somewhere that true alphas would even be able to step into the brain of their pack members if they wanted and then Lydia told me what you did with Stiles. I’m”

 

He stopped. “I am obviously not a pack member of yours, but you can still read my mind, if you want to.”

He looked at Scott not sure if he should continue. Scott didn’t seem surprised. Then he nodded thoughtful. “Yes. That could be a solution. But how does it work, if I can’t enter your mind? Do you need to show me the things then?” His voice trailed off and he stared into the forest. Ethan couldn’t read the expression on this face and so he started talking again.

“There are actually three techniques werewolves can use if they want to read someone’s mind. They can enter a mind like you did with Stiles. In a trial you are usually forced to show somebody everything they want to know or it’s possible to wait for somebody to offer their thoughts. It’s like watching a movie with another perspective and it’s commonly used by equal pack leaders to prove that something has happened. It is also common between close pack members and family packs, because it is less brutal and revealing than the rest. 

 

It was used by werewolves and hunters in the past. Back in the days, when Druids played a bigger role than now, it was even possible for humans to read somebodies thoughts and it was easier and less harmful to fix problems this way. But this knowledge got lost with the time and now it looks like we have to keep fighting again. Not that I would mind.”

He smiled faintly remembering how it felt to fight. He and Aiden had been a unity of strength and will and it had felt so good. How different they might have been in real life, transformed into their true alpha form all of their abilities had been combined, which of course had been a huge advantage in their fights. No matter if they were fighting betas or omegas, they had always been superior. Sometimes they had been even stronger than the alphas. Not in their own pack of course but fighting other alphas had been easy. Fighting had been natural and it had felt right.

 

But then the Darach had destroyed it all. Not even Deucalion understood what she had done to them but she had taken their spark, their status and their pack.

They hadn’t been good enough anymore and so they had to leave. He sighed. This had been the beginning of their end.

But suddenly something brought him back into reality. He shivered and became goose bumps. The wind had become cold and stinging.

His voice sounded hoarsely when he continued.

 

“I would suggest a pack meeting. Maybe even some other beta of yours can read my mind too. It’s really important that you’ll understand who we will fight against. This is not going to be easy and I don’t want you to have doubts about my loyalty in this case. I know that you don’t trust me. It’s really not that difficult to recognize but I want you to give me a chance. Give me one chance and I will prove it.”

Scott nodded but Ethan could hear a sudden stutter in his heartbeat. He didn’t believe him.

 

“Listen, I don’t want to join your pack Scott. Beacon Hills is full of bad memories and I will leave it as soon as possible, but before have to...

He wanted to continue but a loud thunder cut him off. Lightning was flashing on and off like a broken light bulb. The sky was full with black and violet clouds and rain was dropping into his eyes.

He looked down and realized that his shirt was stuck on his body. It was full of water. And he hadn’t even noticed.

 

Something was wrong.

 

Very wrong.

 

Suddenly everything changed. The air around him felt thick like syrup, he couldn’t feel the rain drops anymore and he had problems with breathing properly. It felt like he tried to breath water but it was worse. It was thicker and it was spreading into his lungs.

It felt like he was trapped inside something. He tried to move but he couldn’t.

 

Constant rain fell down and the wind got even worse than before but he wasn’t able to feel anything. He tried to cut himself with his claws and it didn’t even sting. He could see the blood dropping on the ground, he could hear it, but he felt nothing.

His vision became blurred and then his eyes focused at something close the forest. He couldn’t recognize anything but he wasn’t able to zoom back either. His palms became sweaty and he could feel how his claws turned back into fingernails again. He coughed hollowly. 

After a while his vision cleared again but suddenly he heard Scott growling next to him. He turned his head slowly to him, unsure what to expect.

 

When his eyes finally caught it he froze in shock.

 

This was not was he had expected.

 

It was worse.

 


	11. Shocked

Scott was fighting fiercely against something that looked like it was made out of clouds.

It was small, as tall as a child from primary school maybe and it looked quite human.

It had a face, legs and arms like a normal person. The only difference was the texture. It was blurred and water drops fell down when it moved.

 

The speed of their fight was incredible. Hit after hit after hit followed.

At first Scott tried to catch it and throw a punch, but Ethan wasn’t able to follow their moves and it seemed to attack Scott with lighting.

The electricity made Scott’s body wince and even when Scott managed to hit a cloud it just disappeared and rebuild on another place. He literally fought against little drops of water, trying to hit them with his claws.

 

Ethan was to buzzled to react, unsure what to do, when another figure started to appear.

It seemed like a beautiful young man made out of water.

He had tousled hair and dark eyes that seemed to be made out of water from the sea.

However his body was shining, shimmering and transparent and looked more like water that was actually drinkable.

 

Water drops had appeared slowly from nowhere and built him. They came from the ground, from the air even the trees poured water out.

His moves were floating and he seemed to hover above the ground.

He came closer without any rush and seemed to have endless of time. Scott was still fighting in the distance but Ethan was still too puzzled to react.

He had never experienced something like this before and he had seen a lot.

Wendigo’s, mad alphas, murdering banshees, witches but this. This was even for him, with all of his experience, something completely new.

 

Ethan knew that witches or druids had sometimes control over the elements, when they were really powerful.

But creating something like this was impossible.

He was looking too real and to alive to be created by someone.

 

He felt dizzy, everything was shaking around him and his view got blurred.

The man came closer step by step and Ethan didn’t know what to do.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t think, everything was infiltrated by his scent.

He hadn’t realized it at first but now he could smell it everywhere.

 

It smelled like recently burned woods and a flower Ethan couldn’t name.

He stood there shocked while the young man was coming closer with every step. With every step he seemed to become more precise and even more powerful. At the beginning his contour was misty and he seemed to float. Now everything was clear.

He couldn’t stop looking in his wonderful eyes.

 

They seemed to change their colour every second and without even knowing Ethan began walking towards him.

Scott began screaming his name and tried to stop him, but it was too late. His opponent had overwhelmed him and held him back, tackling him with little lightning bolts.

Scott’s face was painful and in his look was full of horror, but there was nothing he could do.

Ethan continued walking.

 

A few meters before him he stopped and looked at him questioning. The man lifted his arm, smiled viciously and bent his forefinger telling him to come closer.

Ethan did as he was told and when he finally reached him, the man stopped.

 

Ethan stood in front of him, his look full of admiration. The man shook his head disapproving and came even closer.

He leant his head towards Ethan’s head and started whispering into his ear.

 

                                                                                                           *

 

When Stiles and Lydia reached the field the fight was already twisting. They had seen from afar that something was wrong but they couldn’t make out anything else, until now.

Scott laid at the ground aching from pain. A creature made out of clouds stood over him and tackled him with small lightning bolts.

Stiles started running towards him, but Lydia held him back. “Stiles look!”

 

First he couldn’t spot anything, but then he saw it.

A young man made of water was standing in front of Ethan whispering in his ear.

 

Stiles blinked confused and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but the man was still there. His hand slightly touched Ethan’s shoulder and when the man saw Stiles he smiled cunning.

He snipped his fingers and two women appeared out of the dark. They seemed to be made out of wood, with leaves as dresses and sharp knives in their hands.

They came closer to them, but suddenly one of them turned towards Ethan, who was still mesmerized by the stunning man. She raised her hand smiling and moved faster towards him.

 

Leaves flew around her and the air smelled like soil and dirt. The knife in her hand was pointed onto Ethan’s throat and with every second it came closer.

Stiles stood there in shock, unable to move and unable to look away. The wind was howling around him and water dropped into his eyes, he blinked a few times and tried to move but it was impossible.

 

An invisible force held him back.

 

Stiles and Lydia had to watch the women coming closer and couldn’t do a thing. He could see Lydia fighting against the force, her mouth already opened to a scream but she didn’t.

Lighting brightened the field. The thunder growled immediately after the lighting and darkness took place again.

Everything looked illusory and the alternating bright- and darkness hurt his eyes.

 

He closed his eyes and looked down. Stiles’ gasped horrified. Roots wound around his legs and crawled up his legs.

They divided into smaller roots and built a small cage around his feet. Stiles throw himself forwards, attempting to break the roots, but it didn’t help a thing.

The roots held him and all his efforts were useless. He tried to kneel down and wanted to rip the roots apart with his hands.

He drilled his nails into the wood and tried to break smaller roots, without any success. A few scratches on his hands were the only result he got.

 

He started to panic. His breath fastened and it felt like someone was choking him.

The roots reached his knees now. They cut into his jeans and his skin and made his legs feel numb.

Stiles’ tried to fight and moved his legs to get more space, but the more he moved the tighter the roots became.

 

He started swaying, the roots tugged on his knees and forced him to kneel down.

More and more roots started to grow and twisted around Stiles until his whole legs and his belly were entangled.

The constant rain made the wood wet and squidgy and suddenly Stiles stopped fighting. This was not making sense.

He tried to hold still, still breathing fast and shivering. Maybe it was like quicksand. The faster you moved, the faster you drowned.

 

And then suddenly the roots stopped growing. He first didn’t realize it, too fixed on holding still but then. He tried to move again.

Nothing. He moved his arms and slowly pulled himself out of his cage.

The roots had really stopped growing and no one paid attention to him.

 

Everyone was focused on Ethan. He was still standing in front of the mysterious man who had stopped whispering into his ears and stepped back.

The woman had reached Ethan now and held the knife on his neck. Stiles encaging must have happened in seconds.

The man smiled mischievously, went a few steps back. He raised his hand, surely attempting to create another horrible thing when he saw Stiles.

He snorted sourly, moved his hands quickly as a flash and new roots started spreading out of the ground.

 

They tangled Stiles hands and wandered up to his collar. Faster than before they started to embrace Stiles arms.

They pressed him down onto the ground and started to strangle him. Stiles coughed and tried to breathe, but the roots clenched his throat.

He screamed hoarsely and tried to get away, but it was impossible. The roots sliced into his skin and hot blood dropped down into the grass.

He could feel the rain, the wind even more intense than before and everything got blurred before his eyes.

 

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, he couldn’t focus on anything, his body was screaming for oxygen. He fought as hard as he could, tried to stay conscious but he couldn’t.

Slowly everything started to fade away. Everything got blurred and a grey veil laid over his eyes.

Everything went black.

 

                                                                                                              *

 

Scott was horrified. He wasn’t able to do anything.

He tried to fight his opponent but it was useless.

The lightning tackled him over and over again and finally he stopped fighting.

 

They were hopelessly outgunned and he was wasting his resources. He knew he needed to do something but this wasn’t it.

As soon as he stopped fighting his enemy stopped his attacks too. Instead he built a cage of lighting around him.

 

Scott was able to see through it, but he couldn’t get out of it without getting an electric shock. He watched the whole scenery, appalled and unsure what to do.

He hadn’t noticed first but Lydia and Stiles had joined their fight.

 

He was forced to watch without being able to do anything. His friends were about to get killed and he couldn’t do anything about it.

 

Innocent people were about to die, because of him.

 

Again.

 

Everything turned red and fuzzy. He had shifted without realizing it. He roared and changed completely. He felt how his fangs appeared and how they bit his lips. He tasted the blood and then everything went clear again.

 

Suddenly Scott knew what he had to do. He roared again, deeper and louder, went into a squatting position and then he made a backflip.

He broke the cage and started running towards Ethan. Scott knew it was impossible to fight his enemy, but maybe he was able to fight the reason of these appearances.

He felt how the lighting attacked him, but he didn’t feel a thing. The lightings bounced off like little stones, they didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Scott knew he wouldn’t let anybody die again. Not if he could do anything against it. Not again. Never again.

 

He had to make sure that everyone would survive this night, even if this meant to sacrifice himself. He could see Lydia, standing next to Stiles, completely terrified but not harmed in any way.

And there he could see Stiles. Lying on the ground. Unconscious. The roots had sprouted over his body. It looked like a natural grave.

But Scott could hear him breathing. He wasn’t dead.

 

The roots grew further but his head and throat were lying there uncovered, while the rest of his body wasn’t visible anymore. Even the grass had started to grow and started covering the roots. It looked like a natural little hill in the forest, made out of roots, dirt and plants.

Then he reached the first women. He had been too busy watching Stiles to realize how fast he had been.

She attacked him with her knife, but Scott managed to duck away and ripped her arm away.

He threw it into the forest and continued on attacking her.

 

Hit, hit, but it was effortless.

 

Her arm started growing again. Faster and faster it grew and she continued on attacking even stronger.

 

She managed to hit him badly into the stomach and he howled loudly. He fought with his full speed, had no time to relax and was still too slow.

He growled angrily and attacked again. He was trying to get closer towards Ethan, but it didn’t work. The woman was a good fighter, fast and forceful.

For every hit he made, she hit him twice. His arms were bleeding and the wound in his stomach stung painfully during every move he made.

Clash, clash, their arms brutally hit each other. Scott had no time to think, to realize where he was, the only thing he could to was avoiding her claws and trying to place as many hits as possible.

 

He gasped. Everything hurt. The lightings and the following darkness made it nearly impossible to see anything and he couldn’t smell anything else than burned wood.

Strike, strike, duck, strike again. Scott was focused. He could feel the wind howling around him, he could feel the rain on his skin, the sweat on his forehead.

He felt every single cell in his body, every wound. It was intoxicating. Scott had never felt like this before. He could even see the raindrops falling down and the lighting in the background.

 

He saw the woman coming, evaded and attacked her from behind. He ripped the wood apart and spread it everywhere. It was like a delusion.

He started at her back. Ripped apart her rips, destroyed her arms, tore apart her legs. He smashed her head on the ground and ripped it until nothing than wood shavings were left.

In his rage he destroyed everything that was left from her, ripped and tore it apart and smashed pieces into the ground.

 

It only took minutes but it was the most intense time he had since ages. He felt alive again. All of his rage, all of his anger, all his hopes and his fears, he felt everything.

Every emotion in his body was alive and filled him with an exciting thrill. Scott turned around and faced the water man, smiling widely.

For a few seconds he thought he had seen a shocked expression on his face, but it was gone as soon as he had seen it.

 

The man nodded, smiled and started talking. His voice was deep and pleasing. It was like a lullaby, soft and hallucinating.

Scott started to relax, the red mist started to fade away. His claws and fangs disappeared and he felt good.

He didn’t care what the man said, he didn’t understand anything, but his voice was so nice. He would always listen to it.

 

Scott smiled. He felt comfortable. He liked this man.

 

He didn’t know why, he didn’t even care. It was fine, everything would get better. He knew it. He didn’t know how, but the man had promised it to him.

His smile, his eyes, everything made him feel cosy. Like his mother, when she had hugged him when he was small. She had come home from work and made him tea and they sat in the living room and she told him his story.

It was their ritual for over 5 years long. Later Stiles came over sometimes and Melissa would have told them about monster, fairies, knights and princesses. He had loved these evenings.

 

His father would have cooked in the kitchen and everything smelled good.

He couldn’t remember why they had ever stopped.

 

They had so much fun until.

 

“Scott, no! Don’t! Do not ever listen to him. He is poisoning you!”

Scott heard Lydia screaming from afar, but he couldn’t listen to her. It didn't matter.

It sounded like the old blurred speakers he once had found on the attic. He had played with them, tried to make them work again with his dad.

 

They’ve had many projects when he was younger.

His dad repaired things and allowed Scott to help. He had explained him how it worked and sometimes Scott was allowed to do it on his own.

He loved it and he always hoped something would break, so they could repair it together. Another thing he missed a lot. Deep down in his thoughts he asked himself...

 

“Scott!” Lydia shouted. “Close your eyes, protect your ears. He is enchanting you. Whatever you see it’s not real. Scott!”

 

But Scott couldn’t understand her, it was a swoosh in the back of his head.

He felt like he was dreaming, like he was flying. Everything felt good, there was nothing to worry about. He couldn’t imagine why he had been so dejected in the last time.

Suddenly a loud scream disturbed his thoughts and everything crashed.

 

He blinked a few times and the misty happiness disappeared. He was back on the field again, felt the rain, the wind and the pain. It was hurting even worse than before now.

Thick blood was slowly dropping out of the big wound on his stomach. Scott closed his eyes and concentrated on healing the wound. He took a deep breath and slowly started turning off all of his senses. He had to concentrate only on the wound.

He knew that it was necessary, even though the man and the women still stood a few meters away from him next to Ethan.

He turned off the smelling, couldn't feel the raindrops on his skin and  concentrated onto his heartbeat.

 

Bum, bum, bum.

 

“Heal”, he whispered to his body.

 

He felt the newly formed flesh and skin. The bleeding stopped and Scott opened his eyes again.

All of his wounds had closed and he could breathe normally again. He started activating his senses again and then he saw him.

 

Liam. He ran over the field with a desperate look onto his face.

He must have heard him growling and Lydia screaming. He came closer with an incredible speed, not realizing the danger they were facing.

Scott tried to warn him but it was too late. The man had already discovered him. He raised his arm and roots chained Liam.

 

Another woman appeared and dragged him towards the little group. The man smiled evilly and started speaking again.

But this time it was different. His voice was still deep but it was croaking. It sounded like somebody was using sandpaper. It didn’t fit at all.

A man out of water with a mysterious croaky voice, smelling like burned wood and flowers. Strange was a huge understatement with this one.

 

“So my dear. You don’t want to listen to me anymore? Didn’t you like what you saw? When was the last time you were so happy honey? Don’t you thing you deserve a better treatment hmm? Don’t you wish you would be back there when you were 9 years old? A sweet little world for a sweet little boy? Don’t you miss something?”

And then it hit Scott like a trashcan. He knew when it had stopped. He knew the exact date.

 

All of this had stopped when his father had started drinking.

 

His fits of rage that finally ended with him throwing Scott down the stairs. He remembered how he woke up in the hospital.

His mom besides his bed. Telling him that everything would get better.

That he wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore.

 

“Oh I see you do?” The man interrupted his thoughts. “And do you like what you feel? Don’t you think it would be better if I take care about you? No fears, no anger, nothing. I could help everyone. You, your little friends, I could make everyone happy. Don’t you see this is the better solution?

Do you really want to sit there, full of fear and agony. You don’t have to feel all this pain, you know? You don’t have to do much, just say yes and I will do the rest.”

 

He smiled convincing and gestured him to come closer.

Scott took a step forwards but a scream from behind the man let him stop. “No stop. Scott he is lying to you! Why should he” Liam couldn’t finish his sentence.

The women had silenced him. He was flouncing and trying to free himself but his efforts were useless. He wasn’t strong enough.

 

The man in front of Scott smiled cunningly and waved. “So my dear, maybe I should show you something. You don’t look very convinced yet. Come closer sweetheart. I think we should teach Scott a lesson, shouldn’t we?”

He clapped his hands and started laughing venomous. The women towed Liam slowly, step by step closer towards the man, who started laughing uncontrollable.

He sounded like a maniac. He flicked his fingers and a loud crack behind Scott made him flinch.

 

He turned around and saw how the broken women began to rebuild again. The wind carried together the wood and it started spinning upwards in a spiral getting darker and darker.

Her body was formed again, spinning around, dipped into blending lights. The spiral was spinning faster and rain was falling in the middle of it.

 

It was beautiful in a horrible way, seeing this stunning and deadly woman being reborn again. Scott looked at her in amazement when Lydia suddenly started screaming again.

She looked horrified and pointed behind Scott. When he turned around he saw the other two women, pressing their knives against Ethan’s and Liam’s throats.

 

Blood was already spilling over them.

 

It was too late.

 

He was too late.

 

Again.

 


	12. The Roar

All of Scott’s anger, pain and all of his doubts were crashing over him. A wave of horror and angst swapped over him, so sudden that he wasn’t able to fight it.

He was going to lose them. All of them.

He felt like he was drowning and he couldn’t hold it back anymore. He started howling.

 

All of his pain, his losses, his angers and fears became a voice and it got louder and louder every second. He howled louder than he had ever before. But it didn’t matter, he didn’t care, all he could think of was his pain.

All of his emotions were audible. It was the scream of madness. Together with Lydia’s piercing screams it became a gruesome crescendo.

Louder and louder. Lydia’s high terrified screams and Scott’s deep growling. He couldn’t see anything anymore. He couldn’t feel anything, couldn’t hear anything.

 

The only thing that mattered was his pain. He turned again and the growl became even deeper and more painful.

This was the scream of a wounded alpha. Far away he could hear other wolves responding his call.

It was a horrible song made out of screams. The alpha was calling and they had to respond.

 

Liam’s howling joined in and in town he could hear Derek and Malia responding immediately. He was even able to make out Satomi far away. An alpha reacting to an alphas call.

Her pack joined in and Scott could even make out Brett’s howl. These weren’t their usual howls and soon he could hear other wolves responding too. Natural wolves, werewolves, and other animals he couldn’t place. All of them were responding to his call. His roar born out of desperation and pain.

Scott was about to attack the man, but something held him back. He could feel it in his gut, something was happening, something bad. He turned his head around and saw it.

 

The newly build women ran over to Stiles and pressed her knife on his throat. She smiled viciously, winked at him and Stiles' blood started to spill too.

And that was it, they had hit the high point. Not Stiles, not his brother. He wouldn't let this happen.

Scott lost all of his control. He roared again longer and louder. Anything was gone now. He couldn’t feel any connection to anybody anymore.

His skin shivered and felt how his body hair changed. His spine bent and unbent faster and faster.

 

Lydia started screaming even more horrified, more piercing than before. He felt the blood rushing through his veins and suddenly his view changed.

Different colours started to appear. Colours he hadn’t seen before, colours he couldn’t name. It was incredible, he could smell more, different scents. He smelled the woods, the fear, he could even name the flowers he smelled before.

It was an orchid, a black one and roses. His senses warned him. A Poison, it was sweet, tempting and deadly. And it had been wavering around them the whole time.

 

He could hear the heartbeats, could feel the ground under him, he heard the deers running away, as fast as possible, and the birds singing their song full of fear and warning.

There was something happening on this clearing. Something that was far beyond nature, and it wasn’t their roars.

 

Run they sang, run as fast as you can.

They will catch you and you will suffer.

Run.

Or it will be to late.

Run.

Or you will lose everything.

Run.

Or it will get you and you won't be able to fight ever again.

Run!!!

 

But Scott was too lost in his anger. He wouldn’t run away. Not anymore.

He roared wildly, attempting to attack the man. He growled his last warning, loud and clear and then it happened.

 

Everything changed again. He couldn’t hear the wind anymore. The leaves had stopped rustling and he could not hear a single animal anymore.

It was like the whole world had stopped moving. He felt everything but the only thing he heard was the choir of growls and screams, which got louder with every second.

The man didn’t stop, he smiled widely and gestured his maiden to continue their task. He looked Scott directly in the eyes and even though he didn’t open his mound he talked to Scott.

 

“Do you really think you can fight me little alpha? You are not strong enough, trust me. Why don’t you give up? Do you really want to watch your friends die? They will bleed out, they will beg for their lives and you will have to watch them die. Do you really want to be the reason...”

He wasn’t able to speak further.

Scott started jumping. In the corner of his eye he saw Lydia falling on her knees.

 

She had started crying and her face looked like a mask of horror. She screamed even louder and higher. Somewhere in the back of his mind Scott wondered if that was even possible. They must have reached a frequency out of the hearing range by now.

His ears started ringing. He had never thought that any of them could be so loud, but here they were.

Their crescendo full of piercing screams and deep growls reached his peak.

 

And then it all happened within of seconds.

A lighting illuminated the scene before him and the rain had stopped.

Scott flew through the air and then it happened. The man in front of him froze. The ice started growing fast from all sides. His hair froze, his feet and his arms. Until it reached the place where his heart should have been.

 

It pulsed a bit and then he froze completely. His surprised look was frozen onto him and his arm were raised in a defending position.

Then he started to shake. The sound waves made his body shiver, Scott could see how he shivered more with each roar and then “Crack”.

 

His whole body split apart.

 

Scott landed on the place where the man should have been, but there was nothing anymore. It was dark and he couldn’t see anything. The grass was wet from the rain, and suddenly everything went back to normal again as fast as it had begun.

The wind started blowing again, stronger than before. It started raining again and lighting crashed into a tree on the other side of the field.

The pressure made Scott fall onto the ground and when he got up again everything had changed. Liam and Ethan started running towards him and the women had disappeared.

Scott turned around and he saw Lydia kneeling besides Stiles. He was still unconscious but the roots and the grass were gone.

 

Stiles was breathing barely and Scott could hear his slow heartbeat, but he was alive, alive for the moment.


End file.
